Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

Please tell me this is normal. 22month old obsessed.....

24 replies

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 12:42

DS is just 22 months. Last week, he was obsessed with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book. He would bring it to me to read 15 times a day, and also, for days he ran about signing "caterpillar", "hungry" and "butterfly".

This week, he has taken a shine to my salad spinner. He was watching me make the tea and I let him work the spinner (it's one of these, so easy for him to work) which he loved. Then he started to ask for it and I let him play with it. This morning, he played with it non stop for 3 hours, yesterday and the day before he played non stop with it for 2.5 hours. Mostly I am delighted that he can amuse himself for so long, but a teeny bit of me worries that it's a bit OTT. He keeps saying "saiya, saiya" which is his version of "salad" and he puts little toys in it and tries putting shoes and blankets and things in it to watch them spinning round. I did PMSL yesterday when he realised he could sit on it and work the plunger with his bum.

Any words of wisdom? He's not going to end with a kitchen equipment fetish is he... LOL

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

LoveMyGirls · 23/08/2007 12:44

I think its fab, let him do it and have a cuppa

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 13:07

Good plan.

We have to go out now but back later..

OP posts:

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 16:25

Well, we've been out all afternoon. We pull up and park the car outside the house and he starts saying salad salad salad salad again. Now he's happily playing away making a wheeeee noise as it spins round....

OP posts:

Budababe · 23/08/2007 16:26

Bless! At around that age DS had a thing about those plastic things you use to make ice lollies. Used to play with them for hours!

Kathyis6incheshigh · 23/08/2007 16:28

Ooh I have been wanting one like that.
Was thinking it was a lot of money for an inessential item of kitchenware, but now I know it doubles as a toddler-entertainer I will buy one forthwith.

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 16:31

It is indeed a very excellent salad spinner Kathy. I got mine in Lakeland around 5 years ago now, long before ds was even a twinkle. It cost more than any of the real toys he has!!

OP posts:

beansontoast · 23/08/2007 16:31

wow three hours!...thatis quite a long time!

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 16:33

Heybudababe, I've got those icelolly moulds too. Perhaps I could just give him them as well and just leave him to it!!

OP posts:

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 16:40

That's it exactly beansontoast. It is a very long time and coupled with the fact that he's thinking about it the second we arrive home is a bit odd...... or is it? That's really what I'm asking here.

OP posts:

boo64 · 23/08/2007 16:53

Definitely think he's on his way to a kitchenware fettish with that salad spinner!!

CantSleepWontSleep · 23/08/2007 16:57

that he can be entertained so easily.

My dd is obsessed only with my boobs!

Niecie · 23/08/2007 17:02

Hi mawbroon - the book thing is normal I would think. They seem to like repetition although you do end up pulling your hair out in the end and silently screaming for something stronger than a cup of tea!

Wait till he starts correcting you because you got a word wrong because you think you've memorised it and you get it wrong!

Can I ask though, does he like to spin other things or is this a first?

Why do you think it is a problem?

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 17:03

Can'tsleep - he broke away from the salad spinner a few minutes ago for a feed. He unlatched in the middle of it all to say salad a couple of times.....

OP posts:

Original poster

mawbroon · 23/08/2007 17:07

Niecie - I don't think it's a problem as such, I just don't know many other toddlers and the ones I do know don't seem to get quite so obsessed. I'm just looking for reassurance that it's normal really.

And yes, anything that spins is an attention grabber for him. He likes to spin his spoon or bowl at mealtimes, he spins slices of apple or any other spinable food. He has been fascinated with wheels and propellors ever since he became aware of them.

OP posts:

Blueblob · 23/08/2007 17:13

Both my boys have been obsessed by anything that turns. The youngest is 2.5 and will still sit there for ages with anything that's round and turns. Usually it's cars, I often find him laying on his bed wheeling them back and forth on the wooden edge. So yes I'd say at this age it's in the range of normal

CantSleepWontSleep · 23/08/2007 18:49

pmsl Mawbroon .

Original poster

mawbroon · 24/08/2007 13:24

This morning, salad was the first word he uttered when he got up. If only he was as keen on eating it as he was on saying it!!!

OP posts:

Budababe · 24/08/2007 16:06

Thought of your DS this pm as I was in the supermarket and they had a whole display of salad spinners - he would have been in 7th heaven!

Original poster

mawbroon · 24/08/2007 21:44

Oh yes, absolutely. Tell me which supermarket it is so I can avoid it!! We were in Sainsbury's this morning and his reward for good behaviour whilst in the shop is that we go and watch the Slush Puppie machine. He loves to watch the thinggy inside the machine rotating. Easy pleased eh?

OP posts:

oregonianabroad · 24/08/2007 21:52

my ds is going thru a salad spinner fixation too-- if only it would keep him entertained for as long as yours, i would be in heaven!!!
his fixations tend to last about a fortnight, btw, i wouldn't worry about it.

Original poster

mawbroon · 24/08/2007 22:40

A fortnight!

It is proving a very durable piece of equipment. Perhaps I should let Lakeland know that it is toddler proof.

OP posts:

sarahsails · 24/08/2007 22:47

If you wizz them fast they are quite fun, I can see his point.

beautifulgirls · 24/08/2007 23:00

He'll latch onto something else soon and play with that non-stop for a while. I wouldn't worry about him. There are far worse things that toddlers do every day and if he is busy spinning things round he isn't drawing on the wall, setting fire to the curtains, putting toast in the video, clipping his baby brother/sisters hair, pouring perfume down the loo, spreading sudocreme all over the carpet........

Original poster

mawbroon · 24/08/2007 23:07

LOL very good point beautiful girls.

OP posts:

Flip